Malloy says CT will join other states to uphold Paris Climate Agreement

Gov. Dannel Malloy announced that Connecticut would join the United States Climate Alliance. (WFSB file photo)

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) -

The governor said Connecticut will join with other states to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made the announcement on Friday that the state would join the United States Climate Alliance. The alliance is a “coalition of U.S. states committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement and taking aggressive action on climate change.”

Malloy said that Connecticut is a “national leader in combatting climate change and we have no plans of slowing down our efforts.”

“In the absence of leadership from the White House in addressing climate change, it is incumbent upon the states to take action in order to protect their residents. We remain committed to meeting the standards set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement because it is the right thing to do for not only the future of our state but for the future of our planet. I am proud to stand with my fellow governors in support of efforts to reverse the harmful effects of global warming and to send a message to the rest of the world that we accept the science of climate change and we will not let the misguided beliefs of a few ruin our planet,” Malloy said in a statement on Friday.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would pull out of the Paris climate accord. The goal of the accord is to fight global warming and pollution by reducing carbon emissions while adopting more green energy sources.

The goals of the United States Climate Alliance are the following:

to sustain and strengthen existing climate programs

promote the sharing of information and best practices

implement new program to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors of the economy.

As of Friday afternoon, California, Washington state, and New York were the other states apart of the coalition.

"The president monstrous mistake to withdrawal from the Paris agreement with energize states," U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said.

Comptroller Kevin Lembo said Connecticut "is a leader in clean energy production." About 3,000 people in Connecticut are employed by the fuel cell industry, which generates about $600 million per year in revenue.

“The environmental ramifications of yesterday’s Paris Climate Agreement withdrawal are clear, but so is the potential economic devastation to our state," Lembo said in a statement on Friday.

Lembo went on to say that the state has "financially struggled for many years – but is ready for an economic transformation."

"Connecticut Clean energy innovation is an essential component of Connecticut’s economic future – on its way to becoming the fuel cell development capital of the northeast, which could add as many as 6,000 jobs each year to the Connecticut economy if current growth in that industry here is maintained," Lembo said. “The environmental ramifications of withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement are clear – but so are the economic consequences.”

Connecticut Democratic Party spokesman Leigh Appleby also released a statement on the announcement.

"With Donald Trump abdicating his responsibility to protect our planet for future generations, it will come down to states to take meaningful action to combat climate change, and thanks to Governor Malloy's leadership, Connecticut is doing just that. This is yet another reminder that if we want to push back against the Trump administration's dangerous agenda, we need to elect Democrats at all levels of government," Appleby said in a statement on Friday.

Technical Discussion

THE FINAL DAY OF SPRING… Some overnight cloud cover prevented temperatures this morning from going as cold as they could have, if the sky would’ve been clear. Now that they’re eroding, the rest of the day will be mostly sunny. After starting out in the 20s and low 30s, temperatures will peak in the upper 30s and lower 40s this afternoon – well below the average high of 49!

THE FINAL DAY OF SPRING… Some overnight cloud cover prevented temperatures this morning from going as cold as they could have, if the sky would’ve been clear. Now that they’re eroding, the rest of the day will be mostly sunny. After starting out in the 20s and low 30s, temperatures will peak in the upper 30s and lower 40s this afternoon – well below the average high of 49!

Technical Discussion

Monday will be bright and chilly. High temperatures will be in the mid to upper 30s in inland sections and lower 40s along the shore. A cell of high pressure will move overhead, and then to the east of the region today and will be the dominating factor in the weather, thus promising the quieter spell.

Monday will be bright and chilly. High temperatures will be in the mid to upper 30s in inland sections and lower 40s along the shore. A cell of high pressure will move overhead, and then to the east of the region today and will be the dominating factor in the weather, thus promising the quieter spell.